Motorized Trail Riding

More than 60 miles of White Mountains trails—from Clay Springs to Pinetop-Lakeside—especially groomed for ATV, OHV, and snowmobiling use.

Make a Day of it on The Maverick Trail

With or without snow, the Maverick Trail is dedicated to motorized vehicle use.

The Maverick Trail for motorized vehicles

The Maverick Trail is a motorized vehicle trail used by off-road motorcycles, ATVs, and OHVs in the summer and snowmobiles and OHVs in the winter. Roughly 60 miles in length, the trail opened between Clay Springs and Pinetop-Lakeside in 2010. For the most part, it is rugged and hard-packed terrain.

The Maverick Trail has five trailheads: Sky-Hi, Timber Mesa, Panorama Trailhead, Burton, and Clay Springs. Trailheads provide a staging area and direct access to gated trails, most of which are limited to machines less than 50 inches in width, though some trails can accommodate machines as wide as 60 inches.

The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division issues OHV decals, certificates of title, registrations, and license plates. The U.S. Forest Service enforces rules and regulations to ensure safe use. A local volunteer group, the White Mountains Open Trails Association, collaborates with the forest service to construct and maintain trails and extensions as they are added.

WMOTA is an adult-oriented group committed to the creation and preservation of trails, promoting ATV riding as a safe and enjoyable adult-oriented activity, and disseminating information to the public about safe and ethical use of OHV trails.

Snowmobiling through snow-packed, groomed trails

Fans of the Maverick Trail in the summer won’t recognize the place with its covered in snowpack and tracks from the steady stream of winter visitors. On board your snow machine, duck under low-hanging branches, heavy with new snow and leave your temporary mark in the pristine whiteness.

Start at the Clay Springs trailhead and spend a full day making the 120-mile round-trip to Pinetop-Lakeside, or opt for a shorter ride by starting at one of the in-between trailheads. The White Mountains motorized trail has been constructed and is maintained through a collaborative effort between the U.S. Forest Service and WMOT, a nonprofit, volunteer group of adults committed to safe riding and education.

New trail extensions are planned to the Round Valley and Heber-Overgaard areas, with spurs into the nearby towns.

About Pinetop-Lakeside

At an elevation of 6,804 feet, the town of Pinetop-Lakeside is known for fun family vacations, with a wide variety of recreational activities. Brilliant blue skies, tall pines, and crystal-clear water come together to forge one of the most spectacular places in the western United States.